The proposed research focuses on the value of investigating biological macromolecules in a state which more closely corresponds to a subcellular environment. We intend to delineate the role of spin diffusion in the derivation of the molecular dynamics of water in hydrated collagen and polypeptide liquid crystals from proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and subsequently to reinterpret previous NMR studies in light of our findings. Our research will also document the usefulness of Carbon-13 NMR for probing intramolecular dynamics in liquid crystals and fibrous proteins. The proposed research differs from routine NMR studies; our measurements are performed in liquid crystalline phases of macromolecules, a state of aggregation that is similar in physico-chemical properties to an in vivo environment. Measurements aimed at characterizing the viscoelasticity of polypeptide liquid crystals and the intermolecular forces responsible for their organization are also proposed.